Check Your Child's Car Seat!
✔ Check Your Child’s Car Seat!
Choosing and Using Car Seats Correctly
❑ Is your child using the right car seat?
STAGE 1: Rear-facing seat—Facing the rear is the safest way for a baby or toddler to ride. Child’s first year: Rear-facing-only car seats (A) are smaller and easy to carry. Make sure the baby’s head is at least an inch below the top of the car seat. A Convertible seats face the rear for babies up to 30 to 45 pounds (B) (check label), then can be changed to face forward. (C, below). Child’s second year: Continue facing the rear in a convertible seat until the child is at the seat’s rearfacing weight limit or the child’s head B is an inch below the top of the car seat. STAGE 2: Forward-facing seat with harness (C, D)—Use when a car seat that faces the rear is outgrown. May be a convertible seat, combination seat (forward-facing seat/ booster), built-in car seat, or vest. Tether strap
C
Convertible car seat
Tether strap
D
Combination car seat/booster
STAGE 3: Booster seat with lap-shoulder belt (E)—for school-aged children who have outgrown a harness. Seat belts do not fit children correctly until at least age 8. Always use a lap-shoulder belt with a booster, never a lap-only belt. In lap-only belt positions: Use a vest or car seat with a harness made for kids over 40 pounds.
Resources
E
National Auto Safety Hotline: 888-327-4236, www.safercar.gov SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.: 800-745-7233, www.carseat.org Find a Child Passenger Safety Inspection Location: 866-732-8243, www.seatcheck.org
Child Safety Facts 2 0 1 3
❑ Is the car seat second-hand?
• Be careful with used car seats. Make sure you have the instructions and any recalls have been fixed. Make sure it has not been in a crash, as there can be hidden damage. Don’t use a car seat that is expired—usually after it is 6 years old. Most are marked with an expiration date.
❑ Does your child ride in back?
• The back seat is much safer than the front. Correctly buckle up children under 13 in the back seat. • Air bag safety: Never put an infant in a rear-facing car seat in front with an air bag. The force of the air bag can kill any child sitting or leaning too close to the dashboard. If a truck or car has an air bag on-off switch, turn it off if a child must ride in the front seat.
❑ Are you following the instructions?
• Always follow instructions for your child’s car seat. • Always look in the car owner’s manual for important information about using a car seat in your car.
❑ Is the car seat tightly installed?
• Car seats can be attached with either a seat belt or LATCH anchors (if both vehicle and car seat have LATCH). Use whichever gives the tightest fit. Do not use both, unless all instructions say it is okay. • A tight fit means the car seat moves less than 1 inch forward or side to side. (Pull near the strap that holds the car seat.) • Put the belt or LATCH strap in the correct path (check labels). If using LATCH straps, make sure you hook to the correct anchors in the car (check car manual). • Always attach the tether strap on forward-facing car seats.
❑ Are the harness straps the right height? Are they snug on your child?
• When rear facing, shoulder straps should be as close as possible to the child’s shoulders or below. • When facing forward, straps must be at or above the shoulders. For some seats, only the top slots can be used when forward facing (check instructions). • Make harness straps snug, so you cannot pinch the straps. Make sure they are not twisted. • Put chest This is copyrighted, read only clip at armpit material. These sheets cannot level. be reproduced or copied.
FACT SHEETS © 2013 Safe Ride News Publications, 800-403-1424 • www.saferidenews.com This is copyrighted material. These sheets cannot be reproduced or copied.
A5 Revised 1/13
Choosing and Using Car Seats Correctly
❑ Is your child using the right car seat?
STAGE 1: Rear-facing seat—Facing the rear is the safest way for a baby or toddler to ride. Child’s first year: Rear-facing-only car seats (A) are smaller and easy to carry. Make sure the baby’s head is at least an inch below the top of the car seat. A Convertible seats face the rear for babies up to 30 to 45 pounds (B) (check label), then can be changed to face forward. (C, below). Child’s second year: Continue facing the rear in a convertible seat until the child is at the seat’s rearfacing weight limit or the child’s head B is an inch below the top of the car seat. STAGE 2: Forward-facing seat with harness (C, D)—Use when a car seat that faces the rear is outgrown. May be a convertible seat, combination seat (forward-facing seat/ booster), built-in car seat, or vest. Tether strap
C
Convertible car seat
Tether strap
D
Combination car seat/booster
STAGE 3: Booster seat with lap-shoulder belt (E)—for school-aged children who have outgrown a harness. Seat belts do not fit children correctly until at least age 8. Always use a lap-shoulder belt with a booster, never a lap-only belt. In lap-only belt positions: Use a vest or car seat with a harness made for kids over 40 pounds.
Resources
E
National Auto Safety Hotline: 888-327-4236, www.safercar.gov SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.: 800-745-7233, www.carseat.org Find a Child Passenger Safety Inspection Location: 866-732-8243, www.seatcheck.org
Child Safety Facts 2 0 1 3
❑ Is the car seat second-hand?
• Be careful with used car seats. Make sure you have the instructions and any recalls have been fixed. Make sure it has not been in a crash, as there can be hidden damage. Don’t use a car seat that is expired—usually after it is 6 years old. Most are marked with an expiration date.
❑ Does your child ride in back?
• The back seat is much safer than the front. Correctly buckle up children under 13 in the back seat. • Air bag safety: Never put an infant in a rear-facing car seat in front with an air bag. The force of the air bag can kill any child sitting or leaning too close to the dashboard. If a truck or car has an air bag on-off switch, turn it off if a child must ride in the front seat.
❑ Are you following the instructions?
• Always follow instructions for your child’s car seat. • Always look in the car owner’s manual for important information about using a car seat in your car.
❑ Is the car seat tightly installed?
• Car seats can be attached with either a seat belt or LATCH anchors (if both vehicle and car seat have LATCH). Use whichever gives the tightest fit. Do not use both, unless all instructions say it is okay. • A tight fit means the car seat moves less than 1 inch forward or side to side. (Pull near the strap that holds the car seat.) • Put the belt or LATCH strap in the correct path (check labels). If using LATCH straps, make sure you hook to the correct anchors in the car (check car manual). • Always attach the tether strap on forward-facing car seats.
❑ Are the harness straps the right height? Are they snug on your child?
• When rear facing, shoulder straps should be as close as possible to the child’s shoulders or below. • When facing forward, straps must be at or above the shoulders. For some seats, only the top slots can be used when forward facing (check instructions). • Make harness straps snug, so you cannot pinch the straps. Make sure they are not twisted. • Put chest This is copyrighted, read only clip at armpit material. These sheets cannot level. be reproduced or copied.
FACT SHEETS © 2013 Safe Ride News Publications, 800-403-1424 • www.saferidenews.com This is copyrighted material. These sheets cannot be reproduced or copied.
A5 Revised 1/13
